


baby, I’m in love with you (and if you say you love me too)

by majicienne



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:21:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 7,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21678925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majicienne/pseuds/majicienne
Summary: The December challenge! Title from the song Christmas Everyday
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 36
Kudos: 49





	1. kissin' by the mistletoe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mistletoe

Jaime was never going to like Winterfell. It was too full of memories and the echoes of poor choices. Even if it was also the place where he had started the path towards redemption, the place where he and Brienne became one. Truth was the whole North baffled him. The following of the Old Gods was even stranger, in his opinion than the faith of the Seven. Jaime doesn’t believe in any gods, Tywin Lannister believed only in gold and power, but he didn’t worship them. Jaime used to worship Cersei, thinking her the Maiden incarnate. How wrong he had been. 

Regardless, the Seven he knew. He had prayed to them, even if he didn’t believe they cared. But this thing with the trees... what was so special about the winter solstice and why were there so many leaves hanging on every door and corner? 

Sansa looked at him like he was stupid, when he asked. Which was how Sansa usually looked at him. 

“If you wait here while I get Tormund, he and Brienne can give you a demonstration. He’s been trying to ambush her”. A smirk lifted the corners of her mouth and suddenly Jaime was talking to Catelyn Tully again. “He wants to show her how a real man kisses like.” 

This offended Jaime for several reasons but he didn’t have time to ponder them because suddenly Brienne was standing behind Sansa. His wench had the bluest eyes in the world and they shone with something that would have been mischief in anyone else. 

“You are both standing underneath the mistletoe”. She informed them, causing Sansa to spring away from him faster than she had ever moved. 

“That’s cheating!” Arya’s voice was heard through the hall, where she was being kissed by her blacksmith. 

Jaime grabbed Brienne’s wrist and asked, “What are we supposed to do”. 

And then her lips were on his. 

He was never going to understand the northern traditions. Or people. He probably was never going to like them either. But if they made Brienne kiss him, then he could learn to live with them.


	2. all the way home I'll be warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Snow

The thing about snow that irked Jaime the most was how little time he could spend touching Brienne outdoors. The cloaks befitted her as dresses never could and Jaime found himself wanting to crawl inside hers to bask in her warmth and her love. This, of course, was an excellent plan in theory but the practice of it still eluded him, he kept getting sidetracked from his quest for warmth by a different heat.  
It was, he decided, not his fault. Brienne's skin was so _soft_ in some places (like her collarbones and thighs) and the callouses of her fingers carding through his hair was... well, _distracting._  
Still, he could not touch her for more than a few moments before one or both of them started shaking, the snow melting on their skin and leaving them wet and cold.  
So, it was all the snow's fault, really that they had had to move their embrace inside. And then it was the roaring fire's fault that they had to divest themselves from the wet cloaks.  
And finally, it was the Stark daughters fault that they entered every room without knocking.


	3. pas de deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Nutcracker

The play was one of Brienne's favorites, she was a huge Tchaikovsky fan. Jaime, knew this, of course, because he had made it his personal mission in life to know as much as Brienne as he could, so, not very much. Brienne was ridiculously shy for someone of her massive size. So far this is what he knew: 

1\. She was as ugly as she was tall.  
2\. She was the new violinist for the ballet orchestra (She was absurdly good at it).  
3\. She had astonishingly blue eyes.  
4\. She was, technically, the next Evenstar of her island (Tyrion had told him that).  
5\. Her eyes shone more when she was happy (which was how he had deduced the Tchaikovsky thing).  
6\. She _hated_ him. 

Now, Jaime was aware that he was a jerk. He had been a jerk all of his life and it had gotten worse when Cersei had quit ballet at 18 to go off and marry rich. He had started dancing for her and then she just, quit. Never looked back. So, to keep the men and women in the industry at bay, he had cultivated an arrogant façade, that was helped greatly by the fact that he was, as Bronn put it: "stupidly pretty" and a damn good dancer to boot.  
He hadn't meant to be a jerk to her, specifically, but he was late at the theatre one night, practicing the pas de deux and getting more and more frustrated. He was supposed to lift Ellaria, one handed, over his head; and she wasn't using his thigh for support like she was supposed to, leaving him to lift her without any help, which he could do, but it wasn't how it was supposed to be.  
"Look, this is never going to work if you don't pull your weight... literally". He snapped at his partner.  
"If you didn't step before time she wouldn't jump, too". Came a voice that definitely wasn't Ellaria's. He realized with a start that the new violinist had been watching the rehearsal.  
"Why, thank you, Brie". Ellaria practically purred at the new girl and Jaime hated it for some reason. He had turned around and stared at Brienne with a frigidly critical look that would have made Father proud.  
  
"My, my, Big Brienne is into dancing after all, let me guess, you always wanted to dance but by age five realized that you were built like a bull and had the grace of an elephant?" Then it had happened. Her eyes had gone impossibly big and filled with tears, he was going to apologize, immediately, he couldn't stand women crying but then Brienne's face had hardened and her huge mouth twisted in disgust.  
"At least I didn't kill anyone over my inability to perform, right Kingslayer?"  
Jaime's fury became something palpable.  
"Lannister..." Ellaria warned and reached for him but she was too slow. In the blink of an eye he was on Brienne, his face inches away from hers.  
"You have no idea what you are talking about!" He spat at her. "No idea. Aerys was mad. He was a rapist and a pyromaniac!" Brienne was frozen in shock. She didn't even step back. "What would you have done? If you had found the dressing rooms covered in gasoline, his own sister tied to a bed and that son of a bitch playing with a Zippo?" 

Ellaria had flinched at that. Brienne hadn't, she just stared at him, and he couldn't take it. Her eyes were too blue. He grabbed her by the arms and shook her. "Say something! Curse me or kiss me or call me a liar but say something!" That got her attention. She freed her arms and pulled on his hair to expose his throat and grunted at him. Which had the unfortunate effect of being... very arousing. 

She caught herself before Jaime could do something stupid, like kiss her. "I didn't know." She said quietly, dangerously. "And I'll never mention it again." And then, like a punch to the gut: "You did the right thing."  
Jaime couldn't breathe for a moment. No one had ever said that to him. 

She dropped him and he didn't fall down only thanks to two decades of dancing. He felt unsettled.  
"Stay away from me." Brienne warned him and turned to Ellaria: "You still want that lift?" 

So far this is what he knew:  
7\. He was completely besotted with her.


	4. nothing is real, (and nothing to get hung about)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cranberry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw for ptsd, mentioned torture, burning humans, and disassociation as a form of coping. So, canon.

Brienne didn't mean to pry but it was clear as day that Jaime was unwell. One minute they were breaking their fast, the next he had bolted from the table and was shaking next to the door, taking deep open-mouthed breaths that they both knew from experience meant that he was keeping from being sick.  
"Jaime, what's wrong?" She was by his side in a flash, reaching without touching.  
"Nothing. Just. Give me a moment." He puffed out.  
"It cannot be nothing, Jaime, please." She put her hand on his shoulder as gently as she could.  
  
Jaime turned to her, eyes wide and frightened. "You'll think me weak."  
Brienne clutched him. She could practically hear how vulnerable he was at this moment, but all she felt was rage against his family for making him think that any display of emotion was weakness.  
  
"Sir, I did not think you weak while we were captive, or while you almost died. All I thought was that you are far more honorable than anyone gave you credit." She was unused to making such declarations and she could feel the heat rising to her face. Fortunately, Jaime's breathing was easing down, he was matching it ho hers so she slowed it down so that his would mimic that too.  
  
"Well, wench." Jaime said a while later. They had shifted while his sudden sickness passed and were now sitting side by side against the wall. "It seems I am myself again. Tell me, you think me brave and honorable?" His smug smirk would normally send her on a rage but there was no edge to it. His eyes were still away. She found herself missing the sharpness of them and very anxious about it.  
  
"Do not jape, Sir." Her voice was harsh as she turned her face away from his. "You scared me." She finished, softer. Jaime stared at her, deciding whether to tell the truth or keep deflecting. Truth won out, as it tended to do with him.  
  
"I am sorry. I'm normally alone when that happens. Or I have time to go away inside." He seemed nervous, his hand was fluttering at his side. Brienne knew the motion well, he was itching for a sword. She reached out and covered his hand with hers, it seemed ridiculous, her big hand graceless. She winced and was about to take it back when he held unto her fingers.  
  
"What do you mean by alone? Has this happened before?" She asked, trying to search for anything to look at that was not their entwined fingers or his face. "What is going away inside?"  
  
"Sometimes... I feel memories coming back to me. Usually I can tell before I feel ill so I can go somewhere to let it happen in peace. Others I can not feel them. I'll remember but I can separate my body from my mind. That's what I meant by going away inside." He sounded tired. So tired.  
  
"Have you... Have you gone to the Maester?" She was careful while saying it.   
  
"The Maester?" He sounded disbelieving and he pulled on her arm to make her look at him. "Of course I went, after the first time. I thought I was dying and I... Tyrion found me. He sent for help. But all the man had to say was that some soldiers could become _disconnected _after going to war". He snorted. "I knew it could not be that. I have been going away inside since I was a boy." He shook his head, curls bouncing in the evening sun, powerful in his beauty, even while in pain.  
  
Brienne kept quiet. Measuring her next sentence. "What brought back the memories now?" It was not curiosity that drove her, but concern. Jaime must have sensed it because he answered. "You will jape at me and I'm not sure I can stand it right now." He bit out. He was oddly defensive for a man still clinging to her hand.  
  
Brienne released his hold and went to the table. "You do not know me well, Sir, if you think I would mock anyone's pain." She poured him some water and went back to sitting next to him, all the while she could feel his eyes on her skin, prickling at her. "Here". She extended the goblet to him. He drank. "It was the cranberries". Jaime said, in single breath, as if hoping she would miss it. "What was?" "The thing that brought the memories back, wench." He looked at her with stormy green eyes, angry because of a comment she had not done yet. Brienne did not look away. "I looked at them and I saw the blisters. There were always blisters before the skin left way to bone." He looked pale. Jaime turned to her and grabbed her hand again. "I could smell it. Burning flesh."  
  
Brienne tucked some of his hair behind his ear with her free hand. "I did not know. But if this happens again... I wish you would tell me." "Why, wench, do you want to play nursemaid to me again, I thought the first time would have been enough." He was smiling now, relieved that she had not judged him. "Jaime." It was so rare to hear his name from her lips that he conceded.  
  
Brienne threw all the cranberries away.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know, either.


	5. all through the year we've waited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Fire

Brienne had seen Sandor Clegane face his monstrous brother with more confidence than when doing anything related to fire. It was clear to see why. She had little experience with it, water she knew and she had never feared. Not even after Galladon. But this, this she didn't understand. Jaime seemed to, however. She had noticed that he never put logs on the fire, even if he woke her up to complain about the cold. Winter was particularly harsh after the Long Night. The first night they lay together he had blown out the candles and Brienne had tensed so much in his arms that they had been forced to equally uncomfortable confessions. Brienne explained about Speta Roelle's hateful words and Jaime his fear of fire. They found a compromise with the candle's out but the fire gently lapping in the chimney of her room. Brienne enjoyed looking at Jaime. He was truly the most beautiful man she had ever seen. But there was something about seeing him in the firelight that made him more, somehow. It looked as if the light itself wanted to caress him, and Brienne felt compelled to retrace it's pattern, solidify it. Even the shadows playing over his features made him seem sharper. She loved him. Jaime, in turn, loved Brienne. He loved her wide lips, each freckle, how her blush seemed to move underneath her skin. Seeing her by firelight reminded him of a time long past, when he had dreamt of her. She was naked now, too and she seemed to shine with power, as well. His lady knight, the truest person he had ever known, with her flaming sword reflecting light off her eyes, much like the fireplace... Mayhaps, he could learn to enjoy firelight, after all.


	6. on, without end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sleight bells.  
> Ballet AU part 2.

It wasn't that she hated Lannister, a thing she had said to Margaery and Sansa on repeated occasions. She just didn't trust beautiful people on principle, and she distrusted beautiful men in particular and men in general.   
It also didn't help his case that he was constantly, well, _preening_. He enjoyed people staring at him so much that Brienne did her damnest to just never look, which was how she almost tripped him backstage. He was working on stability at the bars, she had seen this exercise before but it was still impressive. The dancer was supposed to wrap something that made noise to their legs and hold the position in a way that prevented them from making rattling. Lannister had his left leg wrapped in sleigh bells (evidenced by the box marked as such behind him), of all things. She felt the corners of her mouth lift up at the sight.   
"I knew I could get a smile out of you." Jaime said, smugly. "Wench." The bells still didn't make a sound. Damn him.   
It wasn't that she hated Lannister, she hated his need to rile her up.   
"I'm not smiling at you. I thought the sleigh bells were very appropriate, considering the performance and the date." She defended herself.   
Lannister released the bar and moved from the first arabesque to the second. Nothing.   
"I didn't know you liked Christmas." He smirked.   
"There's a lot you don't know about me." 

The transition to third arabesque shook a bit. The bells were a cacophony. "I know." And did his voice shake too? "How do you celebrate Christmas on Tarth, wench?" He held the position and Brienne took it as an opportunity to move around him, until she was out of his line of sight, right behind him. 

"My name is Brienne." She reached for the discarded strings of bells in the box. "We do all the mainland traditions but we decorate the trees without cutting them". She started wrapping it around his right arm. "Don't move." 

Lannister trembled with contained laughter. The bells shook again, less this time. When she was done he transitioned to the fourth arabesque, which gave him the possibility of craning his neck and look at her. He had an actual smile on his face, she was a bit stunned by the force of it, she couldn't help it, she blushed. 

"Ah. There it is. Does everyone in your family blush as much as you?" 

Brienne closed up. She didn't talk about her family, specially after Galladon. "No." She said, turning around. "It's only me". And how true it was. 

"Brienne, wait." It was her name on his lips that stopped her. "I just have one more to go." He sounded pleading. He moved to fifth and held it flawlessly. 

"What am I waiting for?" Brienne asked to both of them. 

"Could you help me take them off?" Lannister grimaced. "I hate the noise". 

Brienne did so, as fast as she could while trying very hard not to touch him. It was more complicated than it seemed. When she was done he relaxed and stretched. "Thank you." He purred. He was too close. 

She left in a hurry, dropping a gruff "bye" over her shoulder. 

It wasn't that she hated Lannister, she hated his need to rile her up.


	7. our weakness is no stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Silent Night

The final battle was upon them. They were already calling it the Long Night. Jaime thought it was rather optimistic of them to believe they'd see the light of day again. A suspicion that turned into certainty when the dead rose. It was never ending. Jaime thrived in war, he was made for it. He remembered that he used to think himself as the Warrior and Cersei as the Maiden when they were children. The thought became blasphemous when they grew, but he always prayed to the Warrior. He had prayed to the Father once, after Myrcella. He didn't really felt like he had earned his favor, maybe his prayers only brought wrath.  
The battle was full of noise, the dead kept rising and they brought their victims with them. The clash of weapons and arms was nothing compared to the screams. Pain, anger, despair. He heard Brienne's at some point and threw his body before hers. That was the plan, to die near her. For her.  
Then they lived. They both lived and he didn't know what to do because the plan was to die for her. In battle. And now they had time.  
When the Dragon's troops marched on King's Landing Jaime went with them. He tried to make Cersei surrender because she was still his sister. His mad, broken sister. She decided to die on her throne. Jaime was alive. Daenerys agreed to pardon him if he lived in exile, Brienne offered Tarth. 

The first thing he learned on Tarth was how different the night was. It seemed brighter, the starlight clearer. The island was full of sounds, beginning with the rolling waves and ending with various birds he hadn't seen before, but it was a peaceful symphony.

The night was almost quiet the first time he kissed Brienne, she couldn't sleep, like him. They were watching the sea coming and going when the realization hit him. He loved her. He grabbed her right hand with his good one with strength and she looked at him in surprise. He leant forward and kissed her, he had never been good with words. 

The only sound that mattered on that silent night was the soft sigh of contentment his wench made.


	8. cavalry choirs are singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Choir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on Coldplay's Viva La Vida

Jaime Lannister had no patience for bootlickers and that might be the only thing he had inherited from his father. He hated the phony couriers that called him Ser Jaime to his face and Kingslayer behind his back. He hated the fear in every young squire's face.  
Most of all, he hated being constantly reminded of the man he could have been and of the knight he longed to be. Which was why he hated Brienne of Tarth.  
He used to believe that no one expected him to be a true knight. That there was no such thing, no such man. Then he met her. She was not a man but by the gods she was a knight. It was almost manic, the way she threw herself before every undeserving underdog, every desperate soul, every fucking Stark. As if the best thing she could do was ignore her chances of survival and throw her life away in the name of someone else's.  
Worse, she seemed to keep doing impossible things, she said she'd kill Stannis Baratheon and she did, she said she'd find Sansa Stark and she had. It was as if the giant girl had taken the ideal of knighthood right from his heart and ran away with it. And then she had turned around, thrust it back in his direction, stabbing it with him and said: Be a good man and a knight. When most people didn't even think he was either. The Kingslayer was a heartless monster and Jaime Lannister was an incestous bastard with shit for honor.  
Brienne called him "Ser Jaime" with her astonishing eyes, ugly everything else, and the purest soul he had ever encountered. And he felt the undeniable need to be what she laced his title with, honor, bravery and kindness. Maybe, instead of being Cerei's other half, he could be himself.


	9. will find it hard to sleep tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaime thinks about hair color.

Jaime Lannister didn't believe he had any preference concerning women. More accurately he had never looked at women the way other men did. He was too devoted and too binded to Cersei. His one true love. His other half. His mad, cruel sister. The mother of his mad, cruel son. When he rode away with Brienne of Tarth, throwing his sister's begging into the fire he had felt the last severence of their bond. Now, after the Mummers, after Stoneheart, he was watching Brienne scold at Hyle and he wondered if she had a preference concerning hair colour.  
He touched his golden lacks, he supposed that if he had a preference it would be towards blonds. Hyle had chestnut hair. Then again, Renly had had hair like that, if softer and more cared for. Was she fond of that particular hue?  
He was a great deal more handsome than Hunt and Baratheon both, still, even with the missing hand and the greying temples. But he was still clearly blond.  
"My Lady, a word?" He asked. "I have a pressing matter to discuss with you." She turned her mighty scowl to him, made even uglier by the scarring on her cheek.  
"Are you well, Ser?" Her huge eyes shining with concern. "Is something wrong?"  
"Is chestnut hair better than fair one in your eyes?" Her big mouth fell open in shock. He could probably have worded it better.  
"How is that a pressing matter? Or something that matters at all?" She sounded angry, she looked flustered.  
"Indulge an old man, wench!" She turned around, her big freckled hand landing on Oathkeeper's hilt. "Wench! Is it the hair color that earns your affection?"  
"What do you mean, sir?" The last word was spit out, he decided to tread carefully.  
"I just wonder, first you mooned over Renly and now you seem to have some sort of understanding with that." He tilted his head in Hyle's direction.  
"Renly was kind! He treated me with dignity when no man had before! As for my understanding with Ser Hyle..." She seemed to think about it. "I don't think it's any of your concern but it would have nothing to do with his hair." 

Jaime had hoped it had. He could have painted his, if he wanted the wench.


	10. the curses of diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Gold and Silver

Lannisters only trust each other. Some of each other. The core of the matter is that they were the richest house of Westeros. For generations. For always. Then the war came and it became evident that everyone else was against them.

Jaime knew he had lost Tyrion when his brother killed Tywin. He couldn’t reconcile the small (too small) babe he had carried with the man that shot his father. His little brother was the Lannister he should have been but it had not been enough for their father. Tyrion found out about Tysha and Shae and he had snapped. Jaime had not lost his brother, he had ruined him, for the Lannister name, for his sister. He had been a craven and turned his brother into the most twisted version of himself.

Then there was Cersei. His lovely sister that only wanted to be the King and had to suffer through the injustice of being a breeding mare for Robert. The mockery of courtiers and smallfolk alike. Being a woman and craving only power had made Cersei bitter and mad. Jaime should have drown with her but he hadn’t, not because of the Lannister name or for the memory of the siblings he loved. But for her.

A noble daughter of a minor house. A woman unfit for femininity and the best person he had ever known.

Brienne had been the catalyst of his betterment. And it had cost him no gold, no jewels, only his honor and bravery. He had gained himself.

And sapphires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> title from Imagine Dragon's Gold. Cliché, yes.


	11. and ignite your bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: pine

* * *

> Pine

n. _transitive verb_

  1. To feel a lingering, often nostalgic desire. intransitive verb
  2. To wither or waste away from longing or grief.



* * *

Jaime knew he was being stupid (pathetic, as Tyrion would say) but he could not, for the life of him, stop. He had not expected to survive. He had ridden here fully aware that he'd die, either by dragon fire or an undead's sword. Standing at the end of it, the end of the world, he couldn't believe he had made it. Which was why he was currently staring ar Brienne of Tarth like she was the Maiden come alive. Maybe the Warrior.

She turned towards him blue eyes alight with relief and smiled with her bucked teeth. It was a shy thing of a smile that made him wonder if maybe he had died and this was what divine retribution felt like. Then Brienne grabbed his stump, where flesh met gold and tugged him towards her. He was still staring, his mouth seemed undecided between smirking and gaping, her eyes were so blue and she was so tall and she had never seen her smile before.

They were close. So very close. Covered in blood and exhausted and she was both Warrior and Maiden and he was a great fool for falling so hopelessly in love with her and not noticing earlier. Any point before this would have been better because now men were bound to want her. The image of Tormund Giantsbane floated a moment behind his eyes and stopped abruptly when she placed a hand, gently, oh so gently, on his jaw.

His left hand, the one she wasn't holding moved on its own volition to her collarbone, where the bear had scarred her a lifetime ago.

He felt a tug under his ribs and leaned forward, following it. Following her.


	12. wild and sweet the words repeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Caroling

It wasn’t that Brienne couldn’t sing, she was actually really good at it. She had just stopped enjoying when she noticed how amusing it was for other people. That the huge cow of a girl had a sweet voice? That her wide mouth produced sounds other than neighs? She had heard jape upon jape until she had stopped.

The only times she singed after that was when she was alone with her father and Selwyn asked her to. After his death she didn’t do it at all.

Yet, Sansa had somehow convinced her to go caroling. Brienne had just returned to King’s Landing and it was Sansa’s first Sevenmas away from Winterfell. Mayhaps it was that, or that Brienne had promised Catelyn she’d take care of her daughter. Or that Margaery had told her that she planned to ask Sansa out after, and she needed support. Or that someone had to keep the Greyjoys in check.

Somehow, Brienne had gone caroling. It was going as well as could be expected. No one had laughed in her face (at her face?) yet.

Then catastrophe stroke. Jaime Lannister opened the door.

Brienne had met Lannister in college. An entitled brat that always mocked what she was without letting her forget what she could never be. She had been glad to never see his stupidly handsome face again after going to Winterfell to complete her studies. There he was, in all his golden flesh.

Her friends started singing but she kept her mouth firmly closed. Her big lips taut in a straight line. Lannister smirked the whole time and when they finished, he started slow clapping.

Before any of them could get offended however, a young boy stood next to Jaime.

“Are they caroling?” He asked, clearly delighted. His eyes wandered over the group and then landed on Brienne.

“You’re Brienne Tarth. My brother-” He started.

Jaime stood swiftly infront of him.

“Mentioned her once, at most.” Lannister finished the boy’s sentence.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. Brienne felt Asha hit Theon in the ribs, but she was too slow to stop Margaery.

“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure.” The last word was practically purred. “Are you friends with Brienne?”

“Nice to meet you.” Brienne said to the boy before Lannister could reply, folding her body to shake his hand. “I’m sorry but I don’t know your name.”

“Tyrion”. He replied and something twinkled in his eye when he turned back to his brother.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us Brienne?” Sansa was always pointedly polite.

Brienne was about to say ‘no’ but it seemed Lannister could not stand to be silent a second longer.

“Oh, she won’t,” He leaned insouciantly against the doorframe. “Tarth here can’t stand me. We went to college together and she thought I was irresponsible and lazy. Didn’t you, wench?”

Brienne felt herself blush slightly, she had almost forgotten his absurd nickname.

“Wench?” Asha didn’t trust men as a rule but she specially didn’t trust them with Brienne.

“Are you a friend of Hunt and his assholes?” Theon was always blunt.

A quick glance revealed Sansa was staring at Jaime with the trademarked “Catelyn Tully” glare, it was like being stabbed with ice. Margaery had a beatific air while she moved closer to Brienne.

She loved her friends.

Lannister looked confused. She could tell he was going to ask. The thought of him knowing about the bet made her sick. Which was the only explanation to what she asked Tyrion instead.

“Do you like singing?” She felt herself flush, immediately and to the root of her head. _What was that?!_

Tyrion seemed to be enjoying the interactions more than any other activity but he just grinned (Brienne could see the Lannister in him, then) and nodded.

“I do. Actually, would you mind if I tag along?” His expression turned pleading. “Father never lets me do anything, he says I’m an embarrassment for the family”.

Everyone, Lannister included took a horrified gasp of air.

Sansa and Margaery went mother mode in a matter of seconds. They were suddenly all over Tyrion, telling him what to wear, asking what he’d like to sing, if he had eaten lunch and would he like dinner?

Theon looked ready to track Tywin Lannister down to Essos if needed to tell him off, Asha was glaring at the mansion in a way that promised retribution.

Brienne lifted her head to Lannister, who seemed suddenly older, more tired and a little heartbroken.

“You coming with?” Brienne asked, wanting to break him out of his funk.

“Oh, I wouldn’t miss your singing for the word, wench.” He bit out at her.

“My name is Brienne and I’m doing you a favor, Lannister” She hissed back. 

“Jaime, wench. My name is Jaime.” He sighed, looked at where Tyrion was basking in the attention and then back at Brienne. “Thank you.” He said, soft and open, suddenly.

Jaime did hear her singing that night and it changed everything.


	13. just need to cath my breath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Wrapping paper.

Secret Santas were stupid. She didn’t want some basically-stranger to try to guess what she liked. No one ever guessed beyond “huge ugly girl that likes sports”. Which she did! But it had gotten to the point where she prayed to not get any more gym clothes, these people didn’t even know her measurements, she hated the whole thing. The worse thing was that she never knew what to give either. The disastrous thing was that she had gotten her boss.

Jaime Lannister was a vain, selfish man that cared only about the company. He was filthy rich, and Brienne was sure there was nothing she could buy that he couldn’t afford by himself… probably bathed in gold.

She groaned while looking at the windows in the middle of the mall, wishing for death, that’s when she was them: cufflinks shaped like swords. Frankly, she thought about buying them for herself, but she remembered Lannister had a Widow’s Wail miniature in his desk.

Next came the wrapping paper. She went for Lannister Red (a trademarked color, the whole family was insane) and a golden bow.

None of her preparations made her any less queasy about the whole affair. Everyone was trying to not be disappointed at their presents and getting more and more bored.

Lannister looked glorious as always, she hated his guts, but she had working eyes. She was musing about it when Ron’s turn came. Ronnet and Hyle had bonded by their desire to undermine Brienne, it was an awful excuse for a friendship and her stomach knotted when he smiled at her. Ron had a single red rose clutched in his hand.

“For you, my lady”. He bowed and Brienne felt blood on her face and tears in her eyes. “I figured you’d want a man to give you something, but I couldn’t bring myself to kiss you”. He raised his head to look at her and smiled.

Brienne ran. She had never run from a man before, but she couldn’t stand there while they laughed at her.

When she reached her office, she locked the door and let the tears fall silently.

* * *

Jaime Lannister saw red. As he watched his subordinates make fun of the woman with top productivity and the straightest arrow among them, he felt furious. Unfortunately for Connington the redhead felt the need to gloat while his disgusting little friends edged him on. 

“I really was going to kiss her but even with my eyes closed the bitch is too ugly, I once saw a bear with less hair than that frea-”

Jaime’s fist connected with Ron’s jaw in a vicious snap that had the other man spitting blood. The room was eerily quiet.

“Her name is Brienne, you cunt. If HR asks you tripped.” He sent a fulminating look to the people around them. “And you all saw it.”

Several heads nodded but Jaime didn’t stay to see them scatter, he needed to find Brienne Tarth.

Brienne had moved her breakdown to the bathroom to wash her face to no avail. She was still blotchy and puffed from the crying and the shame. She wondered if Lannister was going to fire her for interrupting the activity, a part of her hoped he did.

She took a deep breath and opened the door to hurry back to her office when she almost ran into her boss.

“Brienne!” He said in a careful tone she hadn’t heard before. “Are you alright?” He reached out for her but stopped at the last minute.

“I’m fine, Mister Lannister, just-” what could she say? Humiliated, enraged, all of the above? “Fine.” She finished lamely. “I’m sorry for leaving, I can go back.”

“Absolutely not.” He interrupted her, his eyebrows shooting up. “I appreciate your dedication Miss Tarth but the sevenmass activities have all been cancelled and I would like to discuss the harassment with you.”

“The what?” Brienne knew she looked stupid, big mouth open but she was so surprised she couldn’t help it.

“The harassment you’ve apparently been enduring at the hands of those assholes, shall we?” He turned around and walked straight into her office, opening the door for her and promptly locking it behind them.

Jaime didn’t know what drove him to comfort Brienne, but he _had_ to help her somehow. He sat down in front of her desk and undid his tie, the damn thing made him feel constricted. Brienne plopped gracelessly in her chair and looked at him.

“Well, Ms. Tarth? I’d rather not spend the whole day in HR.”

“I just don’t know what you mean with _harassment_ ”.

“Is this the first incident where they made you feel uncomfortable?”

Brienne couldn’t help it; she burst out laughing, her loud uncontrolled laugh, clutching her desk. Lannister looked shocked at the sound.

“I’m sorry.” She gasped out. “People just… treat me like that”. Her mouth twisted in amusement. “It’s not personal for them.”

But it was evidently personal for her. Jaime felt a horrible mixture of empathy and rage that settled heavily in his stomach.

“Well I can’t do anything about _people_ but that behavior will not be tolerated here.” He said, firmly.

“I- Thank you, Mr. Lannister, but-”

“Brienne. I don’t want you to feel like that. You deserve better.” He looked at her, earnest for once.

“Thank you, Jaime.” She said shyly. The tips of her ears were an adorable red. Then she bit her lower lips and any sweet thoughts fled his mind.

“I have something for you.” Her voice interrupted his train of thoughts.

“For me? Why?” He asked, leaning forwards towards her.

Brienne fumbled under her desk and Jaime felt, unexplainably, like she was eyeing him, but no. Probably not. One could hope, though.

“I’m your Secret Santa.” She said, rising her astonishing blue eyes to meet his.

He held his breath for a second. He had seen her before but he never felt like she was _seeing_ him, as Jaime, before. Now, though he felt held by her warm gaze.

Jaime took the package and almost laughed at his house colors staring back at him. He contented himself with a wide smile. A smile that only grew bigger when he saw the contents, Brienne was already blushing when he started thanking her.

“How did you know I love swords?” He asked, curious.

“I saw your replica, I preferred Oathkeeper, but to each their own, I guess.” She said simply, like she hadn’t just given her the most exciting information in a long time.

“You like the old legends?” He asked, gleefully.

Brienne blushed more and said “I wanted to be a knight when I was little.”

Jaime felt like that confession was a better gift than the cufflinks themselves.

Maybe he could give her something, too. A miniature Oathkeeper for her desk.


	14. mix margaritas when the eggnog's gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: eggnog

Brienne was well into her cups when someone rang the door. There was only one person who would knock on her door on Sevemas and that was Jaime Lannister.

She tried to sober up on her way to the door to no avail. Even she couldn’t force alcohol to leave her body in less than a minute.

When she opened the door after fumbling with the key she came face to face with her best friend.

“Did you drive here?” She slurred, she may be drunk, but she wasn’t stupid.

“No!” Jaime’s reply was too loud. “Tyrion drove me,” he made a pause “He was all “Stop whining, Jaime. Just go to her house, Jaime” He is a very annoying imp”.

“But _why_ are you here?” He was _not_ supposed to be there. He was supposed to be in Casterly drinking with his brother and mocking his father.

“I missed you,” he let himself into her apartment and crashed on her couch, “Sevenmas is about being with loved ones”. His head rose to pout at her, his shirt riding up and exposing a well-toned stomach.

Brienne was drunk.

She was _very_ drunk, and Jaime’s torso was mouthwatering. The defined muscle lines, the trail of hair leading to his…

“You need to go.” She blurted, the door’s handle still in her hand.

“What? No! Brienne, I just got here!” He rose on his elbows, but the shirt didn’t fall back down. This was horrible. His green eyes looked pleading. “I want to be here with you”.

Brienne could have punched him. “Jaime,” she said as softly as she could, like someone trying to prevent a child from crying, “I’m drunk an-”

“I’m drunk, too!” He said, as if that was something that needed stating. “I just missed you, wench. Please, let me stay?”

Brienne felt herself giving in.

“Fine, but you have to go back tomorrow so your Father doesn’t come over. I hate that he knows where I live.”

Jaime jumped off the couch with more cheer than grace which had the advantage of sending his shirt back down and the disadvantage of bringing him closer to her.

“Thank you, my lady.” He said, open and earnest, looking up at her. Why was she so pathetic? “Can we watch a movie? We should watch a Sevenmas movie.”

“If we put something on you’re just going to fall asleep on me.”

Jaime looked at her funny for a second, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“I’d love to fall asleep on you.” He said after a second too long. “Your thighs are perfect pillows.”

Brienne blushed. “Just pick a movie.”

Jaime did fell asleep on her, Brienne slept on the couch, too. She didn’t want to move him.


	15. laughing all the way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: laughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a birthday present, so sorry for another AU

The thing that always gives her away is her laugh. Bodyguards are not supposed to be seen, and Brienne is good at it. She's spent her entire life trying to blend in with the background, and she's almost managed it while exploiying her massive size and reach to protect others. It seemed perfect.   
Until they assigned her to Jaime Lannister. He was much like she had pictured him, at first, leaning hard into his "Kingslaying Lion" persona. The whole affair with Aerys Targaryen had been a mess with the press, his _actual_ affair with his twin sister made Brienne's skin crawl at the thought.

She had stayed at her boss Catelyn's insistence. She had asked Brienne to keep her job, at least, until her daughter Sansa stopped dating Cersei's (and Jaime's, Brienne was sure, thank the gods that Robert Baratheon was too drunk to remember things like recesive genes) son. So she had stayed. Keeping an eye out for Sansa whenever she saw her, which wasn't much, she thought that relationship was going to end soon. At least, she prayed it ended soon. 

Jaime made it hard to care for him. He had been condescending to Brienne, rude and demanding, trying to bait her. As if making the person in charge of keeping you alive want to kill you was a good idea.

Brienne had seen him vulnerable two times, and the first had been by far the worst. They had been ambushed while travelling to his family's seat. A kidnapping attempt gone terribly wrong, where Jaime, to Brienne's absolute shock, had lost a hand to defend her.

Brienne had kept him alive when he wanted to give up, telling him to not be a coward, to live because he wanted to die, to live and fight. She had tended to his body, too. The animals that had taken his hand had hung it around his neck and the smell made them both sick. She cleaned him, fed him, on one occassion she had craddled him to her chest while he cried. 

When she had finally got them out of there, after killing five men and shooting straight at the hand of the man that had crippled Jaime, things had changed between them.They were not softer, Brienne still wasn't sure she liked him much, but she owed him, and she respected him. 

The second time had been the falling out with his sister, as Cersei couldn't stand the sight of his stump. Whenever Brienne saw the gaudy prosthetic his twin made she wanted to throw the woman out of the Lannister Corp. building. The damn thing wasn't even functional! And the chaffing...

Then Cersei had began abusing him. Maybe she had done so already, but Jaime had recently appeared with bruises and nail marks on his cheeks. Brienne had quit, then. She couldn't protect him if he didn't want to protect himself.

That's when he had shown up at her flat, drunk out of his mind, rambling about drowning in Tarth waters and cutting ties with his twin for good.

It had not been a pretty couple of weeks. The whole thing felt a bit like when she had helped her friend Margaery to quit drinking.

Jaime re-hired her, of course. But she couldn't be much of a bodyguard if he kept making her laugh.

His campaign had started at a Sevenmas party that Brienne wasn't even supposed to be working, so she had maybe drank more than she was used to. The laughter had exploded out of her, as it always did, pushing her chest forward with the force of it.

Jaime's eyes had gone wide with shocked delight and he had smiled his true smile, the one that didn't cut, for the first time in months.

"You can laugh!" He said, awed. "I thought you were physically unable!"

Since then he had been unbearable, and he started talking to her when he was in public which was a massive breach in protocol. He made her happy, and Brienne made him happy as well.

She had laughed the first time he kissed her too, more from the shock of it than from anything else and Jaime had sulked for days afterward about it. But he had eventually forgiven her, he couldn't stay mad at her laugh.


End file.
